Heading out of Chennai for an exclusive event
On September 7, a klatch of stargazers from the Chennai Astronomical Club (CAC) who are on first-name terms with each other, would decamp telescopes in tow to a farm in Maduranthakam, a two-hour’s drive from Chennai, for a Blood Moon watch. No portal of entry offered to outsiders; it is going to be an in-group gathering. “This time, we had to keep it small and exclusive to our members,” says Siva, one of the founders of CAC, citing police permission issues. In characteristic CAC style, the Blood Moon watch would be preceded by a talk, tomes of theory packed into it. Following the watch, members would rest at the farm and turn back towards Chennai late Monday morning.
To still hope one could horn in on this group’s Blood Moon watch party would be to cry for the moon. This door is firmly shut on outsiders for now, but not always. One can catch up with CAC on its regular monthly star parties.
Founded in 2013 by two friends, Siva and Ram Priyadarshini, Chennai Astronomy Club (CAC) was initially a Facebook group. “Astronomy is not something to do alone,” says Siva, a software engineer now and a star gazer since age four. “The real fun comes from sharing it with other people”. Over the years, engagement levels have gone through the skies. There is not a quiet moment under the starry skies for CAC members, the chatter in its 375-member WhatsApp group being incessant even when it is “total cloudout”, a term denoting a situation where the sky that has nothing to offer a pair of stargazing eyes. Around 50 of these members choose to be more than backyard stargazers: they step out for star parties, night camps and meetups. There is no membership fee. Visual astronomers, astrophotographers and DIY telescope tinkerers rub shoulders with curious first-timers. The club does not gatekeep — if one is eager, they are in. However, the size of a gathering is predicated upon the availability of experienced observers. “If we have five experienced observers, we can handle around 30 participants” Siva explains.
The group heads to Javadhi Hills, Tada, and places on the outer rim of South Chennai, where the night sky is darker. The Chennai’s sky with its Bortle Scale rating of 8 or 9 is hardly stargazer-friendly due to greater light pollution. The lower the number is on the Bortle Scale, the darker and more stargazer-friendly the night sky is.
Costs are modest but necessary — a typical overnight camp, including stay and food, might set the participant back by ₹1000, with an extra Rs.200 for outreach activities. “We run at cost, sometimes even dipping into personal funds to cover last-minute changes,” Siva admits.
Workshops for beginners roll out every April and May, followed by astrophotography sessions six months later. Monthly star parties keep the conversation going. There are also plans for sidewalk astronomy on Chennai’s beaches — the plans are subject to fording bureaucratic hurdles. Their tools range from sophisticated automated telescopes to simpler manual ones, and newcomers are always urged to try the club’s equipment first before investing. “Telescopes are not cheap, so we suggest that they explore our telescopes,” says Siva.
As part of an outreach initiative, CAC has set up telescopes at government schools in Karaikudi and Tiruvarur.
To join CAC as well as be a part of its WhatsApp group, head to https://forum.chennaiastronomyclub.org
A watch in Choolaimedu that is open to outsiders
Sky Secrets is hosting a Blood Moon Night at Choolaimedu from 10:30 pm (September 7) to 2:30 am (September 8). Six telescopes have already been assigned Blood Moon watch duties. The cupboard would be disturbed and more telescopes pulled out if registrations shoot up.
“We want to ensure that everyone who signs up for the watch party gets to see the Blood Moon clearly,” says Sendhil Madhavan, founder of Sky Secrets.
For those who prefer not to jostle for telescopes, Sky Secrets has a backup — its digital telescope will live-stream the eclipse onto a projector.
The evening begins with a short briefing on the science of the Blood Moon before eyes turn skyward. Registration is ₹499 per head. The registration form will be open till 10 p.m. on September 7. Walk-ins are welcome, but prior registration is recommended. “It helps us plan better, especially in terms of equipment and safety,” explains Sendhil.
Sendhil Madhavan holds a day job as engineer, and his spare time is focussed skyward. It was only a matter of time before he founded a entity such as Sky Secrets. The idea of Sky Secrets began to glow bright following a stargazing trip Sendhil went on, along with his friend Subhash, a photography enthusiast. “We started with just one telescope,” Sendhil recalls.
Sky Secrets runs weekend workshops from Choolaimedu, priced at ₹300 per head, offering guided explorations of the moon, planets and nebulas. Lunar gazing during the first quarter or full moon each month; solar gazing sessions are held every weekend, focusing on sunspots. Sky Secrets organises sessions offering a primer on astrophotography. Events are announced a few days in advance, depending on weather, with registrations being carried out through Google Forms. The Planetary Parade of December 2024 became a defining moment, when nearly 500 visitors, frustrated by endless queues at Chennai’s planetarium, chose a rooftop session in Kolathur instead.
Since then, Sky Secrets has expanded its focus, collaborating with colleges such as Women’s Christian College and DG Vaishnav College and schools such as Vidya Mandir in Mylapore for solar gazing sessions.
Their outreach, under the banner Aagasam, in collaboration with NGO Integrity People, brought telescopes to Pulicat villages, Chengalpattu, and rural rooftops, introducing astronomy to communities with little access to such experiences. Since December, Sky Secrets has completed outreach sessions in six locations and they are covering more surface area.
Their workshops aim at teaching enthusiasts how to assemble a telescope from scratch, clean lenses using collimators, understand different mounts, and calibrate instruments for sharper viewing. It offers students a structured three-month internship, complete with certification. The team is also fuelling a volunteer-led project to build a radio telescope prototype aimed at mapping the Milky Way, with pilot tests planned in the Javadhi Hills. To join Sky Secrets’ WhatsApp group, call 79045 35808 or send a message on Instagram at @skysecrets.sendil
Published – September 05, 2025 02:21 pm IST
